Cinema Studies film series: Dhamma Brothers

The “I” of the Camera: a personal window on social issues

Dhamma BrothersConversation with co-director Anne Marie Stein

The filmmakers participated in an unusual experiment in teaching Vipassana meditation at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama, an overcrowded, violent maximum- security prison for over 1,500 prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences. Several prisoners were dramatically changed by the program, which lasted ten days and required 100 hours of silent meditation. This film has the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars.